Connect. Secure. Manage.
Cisco ISE
Plan and operate Cisco Identity Services Engine for identity-based network access, with authentication, policy, resilience and support in one defined scope.
Devices supported
across the UK
Client locations
supported
Traffic handled
at peak time
Average
response time
Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.
Cisco ISE uses identity and device context to help decide network access. We design, install and support the service with the switches and wireless systems that enforce its rules. The policy comes first: who should connect and what should they reach? The rollout also covers the people and processes needed to run it.
Defined trust
Make access boundaries explicit rather than relying on an assumed internal network.
Controlled access
Connect identity, policy and network enforcement to the services people actually use.
Evidence for change
Test the intended security outcome and retain useful operational records.
Start with the access problem
An organisation may want to replace shared wireless passwords, identify unmanaged devices, restrict contractor access or control who can administer network equipment. These are different projects, even when they use the same ISE rollout. We begin by defining the problem, the affected endpoints and the outcome that a successful rollout must show.
We avoid combining every available capability into the first phase. Wired authentication, certificate enrolment, guest access, posture and admin authorisation have different dependencies and support needs. A practical roadmap establishes an initial service that can be operated reliably, then adds capabilities when the customer has the ownership, evidence and endpoint readiness to support them.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cisco Partner
Cisco Meraki
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials PlusMCI Network Services is operated by Proxar Ltd. Certifications apply to the certified legal entity and the scope of its certificates. View accreditation information
Connect identity decisions to enforcement
ISE assesses policy, while the network access device applies the supported result. We therefore review switches, access points, controllers and relevant software versions alongside the identity setup. A correct policy response is not enough if the switch cannot apply the intended access control or the required VLAN is absent from the forwarding path.
Authentication and authorisation are kept distinct. Establishing that a credential is valid does not mean the endpoint should receive unrestricted access. We agree the permitted destinations, the treatment of unknown devices and the handling of exceptions. The resulting policy is tested with both legitimate users and representative connections that should be refused or restricted.
A useful starting point
Not sure where to start?
Bring the requirement. We will help you define the engineering work.
Choose the right deployment model
The design considers site distribution, authentication demand, maintenance and the consequences of losing a node or inter-site connection. Administration, policy processing and monitoring have different roles. We check the supported rollout model and sizing guidance for the chosen release rather than assuming that a pair of virtual machines automatically provides complete resilience.
Identity sources, DNS, time services and certificates are also part of availability. A redundant ISE service can still fail to authenticate users if a shared external dependency is unavailable. We map those relationships and agree how the access network should behave during outages, including the distinction between current sessions and new connections.
Different environments. The same care.
Built around the work
your network supports.
Finance, banking and the wider private sector. We start with the systems and people that depend on your connections.
Finance & banking
Market-data paths, routing and provider coordination on clients’ behalf.
Financial-market services ↗Offices & multi-site teams
Reliable access between people, workplaces and business applications.
Office network design ↗Data centres & cloud
Network boundaries, workload connections and operational ownership.
Data centre networks ↗Build certificate and endpoint ownership
Certificate-based access can remove dependence on shared passwords. But it introduces enrolment, renewal and revocation duties. We work with the customer's endpoint and identity teams to establish who issues certificates, how supplicants are configured and how failed renewal is detected before users lose network access.
Devices that cannot support the preferred method need a separately justified policy. A printer recognised through its network attributes is not equivalent to a managed workstation proving possession of a private key. We document that difference and design restricted access around the device's purpose rather than treating every successful policy match as equally trustworthy.
Introduce enforcement without an estate-wide surprise
A pilot should include the difficult endpoints, not just an engineer's laptop. We select representative operating systems, phones, printers, docks and specialist devices, then record the observed behaviour. Where a monitored or staged approach is suitable, it is used to discover dependencies before restrictive policy reaches a wider population.
Exceptions are given an owner and a review point. An open-ended bypass can become more extensive than the policy it was meant to support. Our Cisco ISE deployment work includes the change sequence, recovery access and handover records needed to move from a demonstration to a service the customer can maintain.
Make incidents explainable
An access problem can begin at the endpoint, certificate chain, network device, identity source or authorisation policy. We arrange logging and operational views so that engineers can identify the stage that failed. Useful evidence includes the relevant request, chosen policy and enforcement result, with personal information and credentials handled appropriately.
Support duties are agreed before production cutover. The service desk needs a clear route for user problems, the endpoint team needs ownership of client setup, and network engineers need authority boundaries for policy changes. A shared platform does not remove those duties or make every authentication fault a single-team issue.
Engage MCI for the scope you need
You can use MCI for an independent design review, a new rollout, a controlled upgrade or investigation of an inherited estate. We provide Cisco and Meraki network services across the UK, with most engineers based in Kent. The proposal identifies the actual ISE capabilities, integrations, evidence and support coverage included, without promising universal device compatibility or a compliance result from the product alone.
Technical references
- Cisco ISE overview — Cisco / Cisco Meraki
- Cisco ISE licensing guide — Cisco / Cisco Meraki
Talk to a specialist
What does your network need next?
Tell us what you are planning, changing or trying to improve. We will help define a practical next step and the engineering scope.
+44 203 196 6566Choose option 1
sales@proxar.co.ukUK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.
Existing customers should use their agreed support and escalation channels. This form is for service enquiries, not a monitored emergency ticket.
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